Writing is an important part of the way I work and I have written for some great publications like Core77, Design Observer, AIGA, and Entrepreneur Magazine. My book, Designing for Social Change, was published by Princeton Architectural Press and I was on the editorial team of LEAP Dialogues: Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation.

1. Books

January, 2016

LEAP Dialogue LEAP Dialogue

Co-Editors: Maria Amatullo (Art Center), Bryan Boyer (Dash Marshall), Liz Danzico (SVA)

This forthcoming book follows up the LEAP Symposium and will distill much of the insights that emerged from that event....

March, 2012

Designing For Social Change: Strategies for Community-Based Graphic Design Designing For Social Change: Strategies for Community-Based Graphic Design

Published by: Princeton Architectural Press

Translated into: Japanese, Korean

Reviewed by: Fast Company, How Magazine, Communication Arts, Polis, Core77, AIGA, Desktop Magazine

Back cover: “Some call it design for the greater good. Others call it social design. Whatever you call it, it’s clear that an altruistic impulse is on the rise in the design community. The latest addition to our Design Briefs series, Designing for Social Change, is a compact, hands-on primer for graphic designers who want to use their unique problem-solving skills to help others. Author Andrew Shea presents ten proven strategies for working effectively with community organizations. These strategies can frame the design challenge and create a checklist to keep a project on track. Twenty case studies illustrate how design professionals and students approach unique challenges when working o...

2. Book Contributions

September, 2018

Culture Is Not Always Popular: Fifteen Years of Design Observer Culture Is Not Always Popular: Fifteen Years of Design Observer

Authors: Michael Bierut and Jessica Helfand

Published by: MIT Press

Contributed an essay “Flies in Urinals: The Value of Design Disruptions”. The essay presents a framework for design disruptions which incorporates behavioral psychology, habits, the built environment, and how well-designed visual stimuli can improve measurably impact peoples’ behavior....

April, 2018

Making the Case (Study)

Published by: AIGA Design Educators Community

2018 April

The article for AIGA DEC is about Case Studies and includes a free, downloadable Case Study template that was developed for LEAP Dialogues. It will also be used as a place to add the LEAP Dialogues Educator Guide videos that were produced by AIGA HQ....

May, 2016

Educating Citizen Designers Educating Citizen Designers

Author: Elizabeth Resnick

Contributed an essay, “Anatomy of the Socially Responsible Designer,” in which introduce the “Five Priorities” of socially responsible designers....

January, 2013

Design Portfolio Design Portfolio

Author: Craig Welsh

Contributed an essay about design writing for this book which guides in the process of creating their portfolios and features approximately 300 designs....

September, 2010

A 21-Piano Salute to Celebrate a Summer of Music A 21-Piano Salute to Celebrate a Summer of Music

Published by: Core 77

Details an innovative public awareness campaign in Lancaster, PA, that promotes music awareness by modifying old or unused pianos to serve as artistic spectacles that could also be played. According to organizers, it was the most significant public art initiative the city’s ever had take place....

3. Essays

November, 2015

Energy Revolution At Your Doorstep Energy Revolution At Your Doorstep

Published by: Impact Design Hub

Describes a self-initiated project during which I changed people’s behavior around entry way areas and increased the number of people who use revolving doors. This, in turn, can save buildings large amounts of energy and money, while also saving tons of CO2....

June, 2013

Policy Meets Design Policy Meets Design

Published by: GOOD (also featured in their daily email promotions)

Describes a case study from my class, Visualizing Urban Policy, where students worked with an organization that advocates for the rights and opportunities of immigrant day laborers....

May, 2012

Flies in Urinals: The Value of Design Disruptions Flies in Urinals: The Value of Design Disruptions

Published by: Design Observer

Presents a framework for design disruptions which incorporates behavioral psychology, habits, the built environment, and how well-designed visual stimuli can improve measurably impact peoples’ behavior....

April, 2012

Designing for Social Change: Stumbles to Strategies Designing for Social Change: Stumbles to Strategies

Published by: AIGA

Summarizes the challenges that led me to write my book, Designing for Social Change, what motivated me along the way, some of the strategies that I found along the way, and a surprising collaboration that happened at the end of the project....

4. Academic Papers

October, 2018

New Ventures: Intersections In Design Education

Conference Organizer: AIGA Design Educators

Conference Location: Portland, OR

Co-Organized a panel on the topic of Creative Placemaking (with David Frisco)

Creative Placemaking describes the process of energizing communities through place-based art and cultural activities, and communication designers often contribute their expertise to this process by helping to shape built environments in ways that measurably impacts communities. In this panel, we will discuss various strategies and disciplines that contribute to effective Creative Placemaking. We will look for panelists who engage communities with tried-and-true methods as well as provocative social practices that might reshape the role of the designer to include Creative Placemaking....

January, 2014

Design & Emotion

Conference Organizer: International Design and Emotion Society

Conference Location: Bogota, Columbia

Presented two papers: one called “ZoneA/Zone1: Reflection/Resilience,” a 13-week classroom investigation into community based resiliency efforts and awareness in NYC one year after Superstorm Sandy. A second paper called “Triggers: Using Design to Change Behavior”, a 16-week project during which students were charged with the task of using design to change personal habits. The paper details the methodology, examples of students following that methodology, and it features some of the final results from the projects, and links to a website were all of the projects can be found....

October, 2010

Response_Ability

Conference Organizer: AIGA Design Educators

Conference Location: Toledo, OH

Presented the paper “Designing for Social Change” in which I introduced eight community engagements strategies. Together the strategies illustrate a way to work efficiently with communities using graphic design to address complex social problems. The paper serves as an introduction to my book, “Designing for Social Change,” which will include these and other strategies that were used during 20 community-based graphic design projects....

5. Articles & Reviews

March, 2016

Policy, Meet Design

Published by: Public Journal

Contributed a case study that provides strategies to helps design and policy analysts better collaborate. The article features a list of strategies to help designers and analysts gain a deeper understanding of the other’s process in order to build greater empathy between the disciplines....

January, 2014

Triggers: Using Design to Change Behavior Triggers: Using Design to Change Behavior

Published by: GOOD, reworked and published by Fast Company

Described a series of projects from my class at Pratt, Transformation Design, where students were charged with the task of using design to change personal habits. The article describes a methodology, examples of students following that methodology, and it features some of the final results from the projects, and links to a website were all of the projects can be found. ...

October, 2013

Shaping Design Education at Leap Symposium Shaping Design Education at Leap Symposium

Published by: Design Observer, reworked and published by GOOD

Review of the LEAP Symposium, which took place in 2013 with 100 national thought leaders, educators, designers and practitioners from business, international development and social enterprise at Art Center College of Design. This highly orchestrated event focused on one central issue: the emerging career pathways for designers in the social innovation space....

November, 2009

Ethically Made In China Ethically Made In China

Published by: Core 77

Questions the efficacy of branding textiles as “ethically made” in another country. In this case, China....

February, 2009

50/50 50/50

Published by: Designer’s Review of Books

 

Review for Tauba Auerbach’s book, “50/50,” which has no text, only 100 pages of black and white patterns....

6. Interviews

February, 2013

Designers Review of Books

Interview by: Jenny Venn

Venn asked me about the process of writing and designing my book, Designing for Social Change. One of her most surprising questions was “If this book happened 5 years earlier or 5 years later what would be different about the content?”...

January, 2013

TEDX TRANSMEDIA

This preceded my talk at TEDx Transmedia. I answered questions about social design, my book, transmedia....

January, 2013

Princeton Architectural Press

A topical interview about my top five cultural interests or highlights at the time. I talked about Vivian Mijier, Colors Magazine, MIT’s D-Lab, James Burke, and 99% Invisible....